Firms Doing Good : How Do We Know? Measurement of Social and Environmental Results

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dc.creatorKlein, Michael
dc.creatorKaur, Sumeet
dc.date2014-05-15T18:26:59Z
dc.date2014-05-15T18:26:59Z
dc.date2014-02
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-01T00:57:14Z
dc.descriptionSocial impact investors, philanthropists, or corporations pursuing social responsibility try to demonstrate that they are indeed "doing good." This essay classifies the various types of measures that currently exist to capture social and environmental impact in a simple scheme. It argues that there is a basic "staircase of results measurement." A first level of measures captures some aspect of "organizational readiness." The next level describes some form of "result" that may or may not be attributable to the organization trying to do good. The third level gets at "impact" that can be attributed to an intervention. Beyond this, there are measures that assess the costs and benefits of interventions, allow aggregation of results from different interventions and comparison among them or across time. Finally, the essay discusses how measures are tied to incentives. It argues that the various approaches can produce more or less helpful measures but cannot be expected to yield anything approaching a true "double" or "triple" bottom line. A true "bottom line" involves aggregation and comparability of costs and benefits and provides incentives to perform. The multitude of social and environmental measurement schemes will by necessity remain a patchwork that can be thought of as describing the "product characteristics" of a company's output. Accounting profit remains the only measure that effectively aggregates costs and benefits and provides incentives. Profit itself is not just a necessity for organizational survival. It measures whether organizations meet client needs. It is thus an important measure of social impact in its own right. This may be unsurprising, but it sets expectations straight compared with currently widespread unrealistic hopes for the measurement of social and environmental impact and redirects attention to paying attention to profitability as part of impact measurement.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.formattext/plain
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/02/18926100/firms-doing-good-know-firms-doing-good-know-measurement-social-environmental-results
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/18357
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-6773
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/413438
dc.languageEnglish
dc.languageen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relationPolicy Research Working Paper;No. 6773
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectABATEMENT
dc.subjectACCOUNTING
dc.subjectACCOUNTING STANDARDS
dc.subjectAGRICULTURE
dc.subjectASSET CLASS
dc.subjectBANK POLICY
dc.subjectBENCHMARKING
dc.subjectBENCHMARKS
dc.subjectBENEFICIARIES
dc.subjectBENEFICIARY
dc.subjectBENEFIT ANALYSIS
dc.subjectBEST PRACTICE
dc.subjectBEST PRACTICES
dc.subjectBUSINESSES
dc.subjectBUYERS
dc.subjectCARBON
dc.subjectCARBON EMISSIONS
dc.subjectCENTRAL PLANNING
dc.subjectCOMPETITIVE MARKETS
dc.subjectCONSUMERS
dc.subjectCONTINGENT VALUATION
dc.subjectCORPORATE CULTURE
dc.subjectCORPORATE FINANCE
dc.subjectCORPORATE GOVERNANCE
dc.subjectCOST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
dc.subjectCOST EFFECTIVENESS
dc.subjectCREDIBILITY
dc.subjectCUSTOMER DEMAND
dc.subjectCUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT BANK
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT FINANCE
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT POLICY
dc.subjectDURABLE
dc.subjectDURABLE GOODS
dc.subjectECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
dc.subjectECONOMICS
dc.subjectECONOMISTS
dc.subjectELECTRICITY
dc.subjectEMISSIONS
dc.subjectEMPLOYMENT
dc.subjectENERGY EFFICIENCY
dc.subjectENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
dc.subjectEXPECTED RETURN
dc.subjectEXPECTED RETURNS
dc.subjectEXTERNALITIES
dc.subjectFAIR TRADE
dc.subjectFINANCIAL HEALTH
dc.subjectFINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
dc.subjectFINANCIAL SERVICES
dc.subjectFLEXIBLE LABOR MARKETS
dc.subjectFRAUD
dc.subjectGLOBAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
dc.subjectGROWTH RATE
dc.subjectHUMAN RESOURCE
dc.subjectIMPACT ASSESSMENT
dc.subjectINCOME
dc.subjectINCOME TAX
dc.subjectINNOVATION
dc.subjectINTERNATIONAL BANK
dc.subjectINTERNATIONAL FINANCE
dc.subjectINVESTING
dc.subjectJOB CREATION
dc.subjectLABOR LAWS
dc.subjectLABOR MARKETS
dc.subjectLOAN
dc.subjectMANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
dc.subjectMARKET ECONOMIES
dc.subjectMARKET PRICE
dc.subjectMARKET PRICES
dc.subjectMARKET RETURNS
dc.subjectMARKET WAGES
dc.subjectMARKETING
dc.subjectMEDIUM ENTERPRISES
dc.subjectMICRO FINANCE
dc.subjectMICRO-FINANCE
dc.subjectMICROFINANCE
dc.subjectMOBILE PHONES
dc.subjectMOTIVATION
dc.subjectOIL
dc.subjectOPEN ACCESS
dc.subjectOUTPUTS
dc.subjectOVERHEAD COSTS
dc.subjectPERFORMANCE INDICATOR
dc.subjectPERFORMANCE INDICATORS
dc.subjectPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectPOLLUTION
dc.subjectPORTFOLIO
dc.subjectPORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
dc.subjectPRIVATE SECTOR
dc.subjectPRODUCTIVITY
dc.subjectPROTOCOLS
dc.subjectPUBLIC GOODS
dc.subjectPUBLIC SAVINGS
dc.subjectPURCHASING POWER
dc.subjectRESOURCE ALLOCATION
dc.subjectRESULT
dc.subjectRESULTS
dc.subjectSAFETY
dc.subjectSALES REPRESENTATIVE
dc.subjectSHADOW PRICES
dc.subjectSOCIAL BENEFITS
dc.subjectSOCIAL COSTS
dc.subjectSOCIAL NETWORKS
dc.subjectSUPPLIERS
dc.subjectSUPPLY CHAINS
dc.subjectTAX
dc.subjectTECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
dc.subjectTOTAL COSTS
dc.subjectTRANSPARENCY
dc.subjectUNEMPLOYED
dc.subjectUSES
dc.subjectWAGES
dc.subjectWELFARE SYSTEM
dc.titleFirms Doing Good : How Do We Know? Measurement of Social and Environmental Results

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